What Is Soul Care?
Soul Care is the daily process of nurturing and renewing our souls under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The soul involves our thoughts, emotions, and how we interact with God on a spiritual level. As Larry Crabb defines it, "Soul Care focuses on the inner life, who we were intended to be."
Soul Care is NOT:
- making life work through discipline and following rules
- making life work on the surface
- shallow relationships
- a formula
Soul Care is about deep personal renewal so that we treasure God as the ultimate satisfaction for our souls and become who we were truly created to be in Christ.
Many of us find Soul Care challenging because it requires depth. We can not skim through Soul Care on the surface. Many of us find it difficult because there is no formula for it-there is no rule in Soul Care that says, "If you do this, this will be the result." Soul Care also requires community-not just community with the Triune God, but with other believers who are also concerned with their inner life and knowing and exploring the souls of others.
While there are tools and tips I can offer you to help you care for your soul, ultimately it is the work of the Holy Spirit in your innermost being that will help you care most deeply for your soul and the soul of others.
What Is Spiritual Formation?
Spiritual Formation, in short, is the process of becoming more Christ-like. Spiritual Formation includes disciplines and practices that help us to connect deeply to God, but the Holy Spirit is the power behind forming us spiritually and making us more like Christ. Spiritual Formation is not a formula, but a working of the Spirit.
The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is continuously at work in the souls of believes to transform us.
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:18
Where Soul Care is the work of the Spirit in our innermost being, Spiritual Formation is the result of the Spirit working deeply in our souls.
Just as with Soul Care, I can offer you I can offer tools and tips that will help you come alongside the Holy Spirit's work in your life, but ultimately, spiritual formation depends on the Holy Spirit and not our hard work.